Rail-joint protector.



PATBNTBD JULY 1o, 190e.

A. STEVENS. l RAIL MNT Paucoa.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18,1905.

n Emmy/H i UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

Specification of Le tters Patent.

Patented July 10, 1906.

Ammann sied simmetria. 1905. stralen. eraser.

To alli, whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Ansar. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States residing at Westbrook, county of Cumberland, State of 5 Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joint Protectors; and I do hereby declare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description of t e invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to o which it appertains to make and use the Sme.

The invention relates to rail-joint protectors, and has for its object to provide a plate or bar Which While serving the usual function L 5 of the ordinary fish-plate or splice-bar in connecting the abuttin ends of rail-sections also serves to prevent t e Wheel-treads Wearing and flattening the rail ends at the ioints or in the case of old and Worn joints operates to go lift the treads of the Wheels from the tops of the rails in passing over the joints, thereby avoiding the unpleasant and dangerous shocks imparted to the rolling-stock as the wheels strike and pass over the Worn or de- :5 feotive joints.

To this end the invention comprises a fishpiate adapted to be applied to the insideof the rails at theljoint, having a lateral lon itudinal flange alon its upper inside edge aapto ed to be engage by the peripheral edges of the wheel-flanges to support the Wheels at the rail-'oint and prevent the treads hammering t e joint and in the ease of worn or defective joints to support the Wheels so 5 that the treads will not engage the Worn tops of the rails at the joint, but the Wheels will roll on their flanges along the top of the fishplate flange.

In the aocornpanyin drawings, Figure l is a o side elevation of an or ina T-rail joint having theinvention applied t creto. Fig. 2 is a cross-section thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a girder-rail joint having the invention applied thereto, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sec 5 tion thereof.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, e o, indicate two T-rails of the usual type employed upon steam-roads or other roads subjected to heavy trafc. The abutting ends of the rails a must of course be rigidly connected in order to preserve the accurate alinernent of the rails, and for this purpose the outside of the rails at their abutting ends is provided with the ordinary fishlate t, which is secured i to the rail ends by t e usual bolts e and nuts f, by means of Which the joints may be kept Instead of the usual complementary tight. fis plate which is applied to the inside of the loint in the ordinary construction and Whic is secured by the bolts e and nutsf, as 6o Will be understood, in carrying out my invern tion I substitute a fish-plate c, having along its upper lon itudinal edge a reinforcing flange d, Whio forms a lateral and vertical extension of the main or body portion of the 65 fishlate and closely en ages the side of the railsad. The top su ace of the ange d lies just sufficiently below the to surface of the rail to be engaged by the peripheral edge of the Wheel-flange as the Wheel passes over 7o the joint, so that the downward thrust of the wheels upon the rail ends at the joint will be teken up by the flange d' and the hammering notion of the Wheel-treads on the joint Will be obviated and no Wear or flattening of the joint 7 5 will occur. It Will be obvious that since the to surface of the flange d lies just sufficiently below the top surface'of the rail to be engaged by the peripheral sexi-ge of the Wheelange and since the top su ace of the rail is 8o of uniform height and the Wheel-flange is of a uniform depth the top surface of the flange d is of uniform height. It Will be understood, however, that the flange d may be rounded at the ends to facilitate the passage ofthe 85 wheel-flange thereover or it may be in other Ways so constructed that its upper surface departs from strict uniformity in height. It is sufficient if the upper surface of the lian e d is of substantially uniform heightl so t at 9o there will be no jolts or jars in the passage of the Wheel-flange over it. In the event that the rail ends have become Worn at the 'oints as the inevitable result of the use of t e ordinary type of iishlate on the inside of the 95 joint by removin the inside fish-plate and replacing the saine y a plate having the flange d the heavy jolts and shocks due to the Worn joint will be Wholly obviated, as the Wheels in pass' over the joint will be supported by roo their anes rollin along the top of flanged and thewheehtreas will not engage the Worn or flattened top surfaces of the rail ends.

It Will be understood, of course; that my improved fish-plate may be employed in lieu xo 5 of or to re lace any of the usual inside fishF lates andp isv provided With suitable bolt- Velfes to register with the holes in the rail and the outside fish-plate, so that the joint may he completed and maintained in proper con- I 1o dition by means of the bolts c and nuts f.

In applying the invention to girder-rails the inner flange or wagon-tread of the rails is cut away at the ends of the rail for a distance suiiieient to receive the Hanged upper edge d of the sh-plate c, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, so that the flange d will form a continuation of the inner rail-Hange or wagon-tread raised suiieiently at the joint to engage the wheelflanges and prevent the wheel-treads engaging the rail ends, Vas in the form of protector heretofore described.

Vhat I claim as my invention is- The combination with two straight railseetions, each of uniform cross -section throughout, of a protector for rail-joints comprising a fish-plate having an integral,

lateral and vertical extension of uniform height engaging the inner side of the railhead, the top surface of said extension l Ting a distance below the tread of the rails, Whie is equal to the depth of the wheel-flange an zo said protector extending across the joint between the two rails and overlapping portions of the rails of the same height as the tread.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANSEL STEVENS.

Witnesses:

BERTHA W. KNIGHT, WILLIAM LYoNs. 

